The Guard (2011) is an Irish black comedy film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, and starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. It is the most successful independent Irish film of all time in terms of Irish box-office receipts, overtaking The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) which previously held this status.
An unorthodox Garda (Irish policeman), named Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), joins forces with a straight-laced FBI agent, named Everett (Don Cheadle), to take on an international drug smuggling gang in Ireland's Connemara Gaeltacht.
A murder which appears to be the work of an occult serial killer is the first incident, the relevance of which is then revealed by Boyle in a briefing by an FBI agent, sent to liaise with the Gardai. A web of bribery, blackmail and killings ensues. Boyle and Everett form an unlikely alliance and bring about a bloody climax.
Principal filming began on October 29, 2009, in Leitir Móir (Lettermore) Co. Galway. Filming took place over a six-week period in Connemara, Leitir Móir, Leitir Mealláin (Lettermullen), An Spidéal and Bearna with some scenes for filming in Wicklow and Dublin. Involved companies are Reprisal Films and Element Pictures in
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The Guard is a 2011 comedy/thriller film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.
"Sergeant Gerry Boyle, a salty village cop in Ireland, has a subversive sense of humor, a caustic wit, and an uncanny knack for keeping people at arm’s length. When a straitlaced FBI agent chasing an international drug-smuggling ring hits town, Boyle has no intention of letting the arrival disrupt his routine of hookers and wisecracks. Initially, he relishes offending and ridiculing the agent, but a murder and a series of peculiar events draw the reluctant sergeant into the investigation.
John Michael McDonagh’s crisply written debut feature transcends the rules of the buddy cop comedy, wryly offering genuine humor and thrills against an unexpectedly moving portrait of its protagonist. Brendan Gleeson’s beguiling portrayal of Boyle defies easy definition as hero or buffoon, hinting instead at the lonely, intelligent man behind the sharp retorts. The Guard is a clever, fresh character study, as well as a snappy joyride of an action comedy."
Quoting the description from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival site.